Electrically-propelled vehicle



n. KEMBLEF ELECTRICALLY PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. IO, I9I9- Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IIVI/EN r09 Dusmzv XEMELZ BY MW 11 TTORA/EY S :DUstro' vv mama, OFYCORTVLANYDYQ," onio,

' nLEorRIcALLY-rRornLLn'n VEHICLE;

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that LDUsroN land, in the county-of Trumbull and State'of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Propelled Vehicles, of which the following is a SPQQlfiCZL- tion. I

This invention relates to electrically pro-,1

pelled vehicles, and is an improvement in duction of new elements,iallwith the view of simplifying the construction, reducing the cost, and making the vehicle economicaland eiiicient in operation. The present, vehicle has also been especially designed to ascend grades and surmount low street curbs without a wein'ht of storage battery or motor beyond what is required to propel thevehicle at itsnormal rate oftravel along an ordi-s nary level road, and the present organization of parts also gives more strength and operates more eifectively in overcomingjars and.

vibrations in the movement of the vehicle than in a chair constructed accordmg to my former plans.

plication, Figure 1 is a vertical section centrally through my improved vehicle,yand

Fig, 2 is a vertical section also,vb,u .t transversely of the vehicle on the line ofthe'axle and looking; toward the rear end thereof. The upper portion or body of the vehicleon both of said figures is shown in dotted lines,

inasmuch as the body may be greatly varied and forms no part of the. present invention. a

Fig. Sis a detail view onan enlarged scale of the ratchet mechanismlffor the drive 'wheels of the vehicle. ,F1,Q'. 4;1s'a top plan and part sectional view ofthe axle andgear housing and the other partswhichare directly connected therewith, except the driv wheels which have been fomittedgj p The essentials of "this invention are 'to be found more particularly in the drive and a supporting parts which are associated with KEM LE, citizen of the United States, residing at Cort A further improvement is embodied in the present arrangement of} parts for drawing the chair up an inclined track by means of arcable and a Wmd ng, drum, alias will hereinafter-more fully ap i-l In the-drawings forming part of this. ap-.

7 tflSpcifieationof LettersPatent; "1 i Patented Ang.;3, 1920.

Application filed March 10, 1919. Serial no. 281,827.

the main drive wheels of the chair or vehicle. Therefore, the electrical system of control is not shown nor described herein, and the seat and foot frame 2 andstecring wheel 3, as shownyis merely illustrative of one form of vehicle frame and steeringgear which may be adopted. Thus, the invention resides in providing a mainframe or run-c members 1 and '5 have counterpart shaft confining and supporting extensions Tat each side of a central enlargement or hous mg 8 with n which a set of speedchanging andreducing gears are confined. The line.

of union of the superposed members 4L and 5 is in the same horizontal plane as the axis of the axle or drive shaft fi, and the tubular extensions are thus. divided intoxupper and lower halves or, sectionstheir full length and have flathoriiontal flanges; 9 at each side, which together with the bottom ribs 10 on the lower section l, greatly strengthen the frame'on theline of the axle. The cone tral enlargement or housing 8 extends rear-- wardly a greaterdistance than forwardly,

and ajshelf or extension 11: is cast integral with thelower section 1 so that an electric motor 12 maybe suspendedvtherefrom by bolts with the motor shaft 13 extending for wardly on the longitudinal median line of the vehicle intothe rear. and bottom of the housing 8. A worm; pi'nion 14loccupies a depression in housingfi and meshes with a worm gearllfi on a short countershaft 16 extending transversely, at the rear end of on an inclined traclelaid upon-thejsteps leading to the entrance of a house or other building. No power isbeing' applied to the axle when the drum or'sheave s so used, and th s, is made 'posslble by employing, a

simple arrangement, of, transmission gears together with a single clutch for controlling the travel of the vehicle at two different re ducing'speeds. Thus,-I'mount a pair of spur gears 18 and 19, of difi'erent sizes on countershaft16 on opposite sides of worm gear 15,

andprovide two larger spur gears 20 and 21 of different 'diameters-onthe axledto mesh the l1oiisi.ng, and one enupei this shaft is with the smaller gears and to reduce the.

speed ofrotation of the axle. Gears 2 and 21 run loose or idle on the axlewith a bushing between them and have clutch teeth 22 on their opposed faces adapted to be engaged alternatively by theteeth 23 on a collarQ which is splined to slide on the axle, and

'when this collar is centrallyirelated or ina neutral position neither one of the two gears 20 or 21 is engaged, which permits the'cable winding drum or sheave 17 to be used during that interval if desired. a

' The means for controlling "the position of clutch collar 24 comprises a forked arm 25 depending from a reciprocal rod 26 which extends transversely through the upper end of the housing where a finger 27 on the lower end of a vertical rock shaft 28 is adapted to engage or connect-with the rod,

to move it in either direction whenever the rock-shaft 28 is turned by its handle 30.

any suitable lever or link connectionmaybe made with rod 26, but the connection should either be of a flexible character or kind orthe rock-shaft made to slide in its bearings, having in mind that the seat or body 31'of the chair or vehicle is mounted on springs and adaptedto play up'and down relatively to the runninggear frame and the;

axle. Asshown, three elliptical springs 33' areused, b one extending transversely at the rear of the seat board 31, and the other two extending longitudinally of the chair and seated and bolted at the extremities of the;

tubular. extensions adjacent the brake drums 32 on the main drive wheels 83. These wheels arefree to rotate in one direction on the shaft-or axle 6 to permit differential movements in turning the chair, and the power is transmitted from the axle to each wheelby a ratchet wheeljM pinned l on the axle and by aset of paw'ls 35 pivoted integral with the flanges 9 of the upper section 5 of the main frame, and extend this yoke far enough to, the rear of the main frame to permit the forked member 38 of a small follower wheel 39 to be swiveled therein. The rear transverse spring 33? of the chair is interposed between theseat board 31 and this swinging frame 36, and the rear or end of the main frame carrying the motor and power transmission is held suspended from therear end of theiswinging frame a. heavy coiled springtO connected to a drop bracket 41 affixed to or forming an integral part ofthe shelf or extension 11. Themotor is thereby relievedfjof jars, andat thesame time partly carriedby the swinging frame, and the spring between theseat board and the swinging frame helps still ing gears, a frame journaled on said-axle supporting saichmotor and hous ng said further. to absorb the rebounds and shocks on the main frame and to make riding easier. To balancethe chair, the motor and worm gears and-clutch are arranged on the middle longitudinal line of the chair 1 and thepairs of speed-changing gears are placed atequal distances from this middleline at opposite .sides' of the worm gears, and a fur ther balance is promoted by suspending the units of the storage batteries from the chair seatatthe front and rear of the axle sub stantially as indicated in dotted lines=Fig. 1. WhatI claimis z 1. In an electrically propelled'vehicle, an axle, a pair of speed-changing gears loosely mounted-upon said axle, a clutch member splined to slide upon said axle to engage either gear, a motor and speechr'educing gears'adapted to operate said spe'ecl-chang-y gears,-;and means internally of said housing having a controlling device externally of saidhousing adapted to shift'said'clutch member, said motor and clutch member b'eing arranged on a central line of said frame and vehicle and said gears being arranged infbalanced relation on opposite sides of saidcentralline'. i

2; In an'electrically propelled vehicle, a pair of'drive wheels, an axle in ratchet drive connection with each wheel, a pair of speed changing gears sleeved to rotate freely upon said axle, a clutch collar on said axle between s'aid gears,-a movable member adapted'to slide said collar in oppositedirections, a housing for said parts having lateral ex tensions within which said axle is j ournaled and arear" extension adapted to support a motor; a motor suspended fromfsaid rear extension having power-transmitting connection with said gears within said housing, a horizontal frame hinged to saidjlateral extensions, a wheel swiveledto said frame, and aspring suspendin from said hingedframe. a In an electrically propelled vehicle, main shaft and wheels in ratchet connec tion, a pair of spur gears of different sizes mountedto rotate freely upon said shaft 116 at substantially equal distances from the longitudinal median line of said vehicle, a

clutchsplined to slide'on said shaft between said gears and adapted to be rotated by either of said gears, a motor arranged on 120 the longitudinal median line of said vehicle and 'speed-reducinggears adapted to operate said spur gears, a, two-part housing frame" ournaled onsard shaft and inclosingjsaid gears, shifting device forsaid cluteh,125

springs monntedllpon said housingj frame, and, a veh cle body supported upon said spr n s, a s a 1 I a lnfan electrically propelledvehicle, a

drive axle, a main frame journaled on said gsaid rear extension 110 i axle, a motor and power transmission mechanism mounted upon said frame, a swinging frame hinged upon said main frame having a supporting wheel, a suspension spring supporting said main frame and the parts thereon from said swinging frame, a body, and a spring seated upon said swinging frame adapted to support the body.

5. In an electrically propelled vehicle, an axle and drive wheels, a main frame having journals for said axle, a motor and powertransmitting means mounted upon said frame in driving connection with said axle, a swinging frame hinged upon said main frame having a swiveled supporting wheel, a suspension spring connecting said frames, vehicle body, a pair of springs supporting said body upon said main frame, and a spring interposed between said body and swinging frame.

6. In an electrically propelled vehicle, a balanced running gear comprising an axle and wheels therefor, an axle housing, a countershaft journaled in said housing parallel with said axle, a motor centrally supported upon said housing having a shaft longitudinally of said housing on the longitudinal median line of the vehicle and provided with a worm pinion, a worm gear on said countershaft in mesh with said pinion and spur gears of different diameters at opposite sides of said worm gear, spur gears independently rotatable upon said axle in mesh with the first-named spur gears, a

sliding clutch on said axle adapted to engage the spur gears thereon alternatively, and means within said housing adapted to shift said clutch having controlling connections externally of said housing.

7. In an electrically propelled vehicle, an axle having wheels and power transmitting mechanism, a housing for said axle and mechanism, said mechanism comprising a motor driven worm, a countershaft having a worm gear and a pair of spur gears thereon and provided with a cable-winding drum, a pair of spur gears mounted to rotate freely upon said axle, a clutch on said axle adapted to engage either spur gear thereon'or to be placed in a neutral position in respect to both gears, said housing and power trans mitting mechanism being arranged in balancing position on the longitudinal center line of the chair, and means adapted to control the working position of said clutch,

8. In a motor-driven rolling chair, an operating motor and a main axle for the chair and a power-transmission system consisting of a worm pinion and a worm gear and a set of high and low reducing gears on opposite sides of said worm gear and having a pair of reducing gears mountedloosely on the said main shaft, said motor and pinion and worm gear being arranged on the longitudinal center line of said chair and said gears being arranged in balancing relation on opposite sides of said center line.

9. I11 a motor-driven rolling chair, a power-transmission system between the operating motor and the main axle of the chair comprising separate pairs of high and low speed reducing gears arranged in bal an'ced relation on opposite sides of the center line of said chair and a sliding clutch between them on the main axle shaft, and slidable connections and a lever whereby the said clutch may be engaged with either one ing gears into action or to throw out both pairs of gears, and a cable winding drum on the counter-shaft adapted to be used in moving the "chair.

11. In an electrically propelled rolling chair, a chair seat and swinging yoke attached under the chair seat at one end and having a rear wheel mounted in a swivel joint at the other end and a direct spring connection between said yoke and the chair seat at a point between the swinging attachment and the swivel joint for the rear wheel.

12. In an electrically propelled rolling chair, a chair seat and a main supporting frame and a swinging yoke attached at its divided end to the main supporting frame of the mechanism, said frame having hinged lugs projecting from said main frame under the chair seat and having a rear wheel mounted in a swivel joint at the opposite end of said yoke to carry part of the weight of the said main supporting frame.

Signed at Cortland, in the county of Trumbull, and State of Ohio, this 5th day of March, 1919.

DUSTON KEMBLE. 

